Mr Christopher Leslie (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs; Shipley, Labour)

I beg to move amendment No. 41, in clause 54, page 26, line 9, leave out subsection (2).

This is a technical amendment, which removes the Lords privilege amendment that was inserted on Third reading in the other place. The Committee will be aware that the House of Lords cannot consider matters of money or charges on public funds, so the subsection was therefore inserted in the other place. Following Second reading in the Commons, we passed the money resolution, so we can now remove that provision.

Mr Christopher Leslie (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs; Shipley, Labour)

I thank you, Mr. Gale, and your co-Chairman, Mr. Griffiths, for your safe and efficient stewardship of the Bill through Committee. We have scrutinised its clauses rigorously, and have given it good and effective consideration.

I thank the Clerks and those who ensured safe and good order in the Room. I also thank my officials for helpfully providing me with inspiration when required. Finally, I thank my hon. Friends for their support. It has been a great pleasure, and this is another Bill Committee under our belts.

Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Shadow Minister, Home Affairs; Huntingdon, Conservative)

At the conclusion of what has been a brief but interesting and important Committee, I thank you, Mr. Gale, for your expert and fair chairmanship and your good humour. The same is true of your co-Chairman, Mr. Griffiths.

I thank Committee members for working well together to a tight timetable. We finish with no outstanding issues, but we certainly wasted no time identifying them. Finally, I thank the support staff—the Clerks, the Doorkeepers and police—for allowing it to happen.

Mr Paul Tyler (Shadow Leader of the House of Commons; North Cornwall, Liberal Democrat)

I endorse everything that has been said by the Minister and the hon. Member for Huntingdon, and say the same on behalf of my party. As I said, I hope that this will be my swansong. At least I can leave with the happy memory of a well ordered Committee under your chairmanship, Mr. Gale, and that of Mr. Griffiths. I thank you for that.

Mr Roger Gale (North Thanet, Conservative)

I thank hon. Members for their fine comments. I am sure that Mr. Griffiths’s attention will be drawn to them. This may prove to be the last Standing Committee on which hon. Members sit under his chairmanship.

I express my own appreciation for the work of the Officers of the House, without whom our proceedings would be well-nigh impossible. I am not at liberty to   comment on what might happen in April or May. That is a matter for conjecture. However, I think that it is in order for me to wish all hon. Members a happy Easter and a safe return on 4 April.